One Intrepid Seal

“I’m a full-grown woman, not a small child. If I throw myself out of this tree, I could hurt both of us. Besides, you’re injured.”

“Do you always argue this much? If we don’t hurry, those goons will be on top of us. Now do as I said,” he commanded.

Reese closed her eyes, swung her leg over the limb and slid out of the tree.

True to his word, Diesel caught her. Granted, he staggered backward several steps until he got his feet under him. Still, he held her in his arms.

“You can put me down,” she said. “I can stand on my own feet.” She touched his arm where she’d tied the cloth around his wound. It was soaked with blood. “Damn it, Diesel, you’re still bleeding.”

He let her feet drop down, and she slid down his muscular front, feeling every line, ripple and indentation as she went. By the time her feet touched the ground, her body was on fire. What was it about this man that awakened in her something she thought died back in Afghanistan?

Reese quickly stepped away, her breathing ragged, her thoughts flustered. She was glad for the darkness, as she figured it would hide how red her cheeks must be. “We need to get you to a doctor. You might need stitches and antibiotics.”

“I’ll live. I won’t need any of that if we don’t get out of here ASAP.” He grabbed her hand and took off, running north of the camp.

Reese ran with him, doing her best not to trip over branches and fall flat on her face. They didn’t have time for broken legs. The few shafts of starlight making it through the canopy were all she had to light her way. She prayed they didn’t run into any crocodiles or gorillas in the darkness.

* * *

DIESEL KEPT UP a grueling pace, determined to get as far away from the camp of Congolese rebels as he could before daring to slow down.

To Reese’s credit, she did a good job keeping up with him. Based on the brief moments he’d held her in his arms, he could tell she didn’t have a spare ounce of flesh on her. Her body was honed, her muscles tight and well-defined.

Eventually, they slowed and moved at a fast walk, following the river, keeping it within twenty or thirty yards—close enough to maintain their bearings, but hopefully not too close they would run into a crocodile lazing on the bank. The river twisted in undulating curls, making it hard to follow exactly. Despite the meandering nature of the waterway, Diesel felt confident they were still within fairly easy reach of the water.

If only they could come across some sort of civilization—someone who had a telephone would be great. The river had villages along the way, but Diesel had no idea of how far it was between each. They couldn’t remain on the run for long. And as soon as they stopped, the mosquitos would eat them alive and spread who knew what kind of diseases. Fortunately, he’d packed a lightweight mosquito net in one of his cargo pockets. As soon as he felt they’d gotten far enough away from the rebels, he’d find another tree big enough for both of them to sleep in.

They’d been fortunate thus far that they hadn’t run into any other wildlife. That luck couldn’t last forever. Big cats, gorillas, hippos and crocodiles were just a few of the dangers that lurked along the banks of the Congo. The two-legged creatures could be every bit as treacherous.

After they’d been on the move for two hours, Diesel could feel his energy waning. The wound on his arm hadn’t stopped bleeding and had begun to throb. They needed to stop and rest soon.

He came across a clearing in the jungle, where the trees on the edges were large enough to provide shelter for them.

When he stopped beside one of the trees, he turned to Reese.

“Please tell me you’re just stopping to catch your breath,” she said, bending over to rest her hands on her knees, her breathing labored. “You know how I am about heights. It’s not something I’ll ever outgrow.”

“It’s the safest place to sleep. If you want to stay on the ground, you’re welcome to it. You might be sharing it with snakes, big cats, warthogs and gorillas. The mosquitoes alone might kill you. I’m going up. And I have a mosquito net.”

Reese straightened and slapped at her cheek. “Mosquito net? What armed aggressor carries a mosquito net into an operation?”

“One who’s going into the jungle. I brought the very basics for survival, in case I was separated from my team.”

“How fortuitous. I don’t suppose you have a cell phone in one of your pockets?”

Diesel could see the pale outline of her face in the murky darkness, but not the expression in her eyes. “We were equipped with two-way radio headsets, but we’re too far away from my team to communicate, and the chances of finding a cell phone transmission tower in the jungle are slim to none. The cell phone I have probably won’t work until we make it all the way to Kinshasa.”

Reese tipped up her head. “I really hate climbing trees,” she muttered and grabbed a hold of a low-hanging branch. “And what will keep a big cat from climbing the tree with us?”

“I think we can fend off a big cat in a tree easier than we can on the ground. I do have a weapon.”

“With that weapon, couldn’t we fight off everything on the ground, then?” Reese pulled herself up onto the first branch.

“We need to get some rest. You might not like heights, but I’m not fond of snakes. I’d rather take my chances in a tree than on the ground.”

“Fine. I’m climbing. But don’t expect me to like it,” she grumbled.

He chuckled and climbed up behind her. “I didn’t expect you to.” He handed her a tube. “Drink.”

“Where did you get water?”

“I have a water container on my back. Standard issue. Beats the hell out of canteens.”

She sipped and then sat back. “I didn’t realize how thirsty I was. As humid as it is, you’d think we wouldn’t need to drink.”

“All the more reason to keep hydrated.” He tucked the tube away and tipped his head up. “Wait here.”

She raised her hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Diesel climbed higher, found a fork in a sturdy branch, broke off some boughs full of leaves and twigs and laid them in the fork. He figured if the gorillas could make nests, he could too. Soon he had a relatively secure place for them to sleep through the remainder of the night. He hooked the mosquito netting from a branch above and camouflaged it with leaves.

When he was satisfied, he turned to climb back down, only to find Reese scooting out on the limb.

“I got tired of waiting,” she said.

The meager light that found its way through the canopy gave just enough illumination for her to see what he’d been working on. “Looks like a cocoon.”

“It is, in a way. Crawl on in.”

“You sure it’ll hold me?” she asked, still hesitating.

“I’ve been all over it. It’s pretty sturdy.”

Reese eased beneath the netting and stopped. “Can we be seen from below?”

“Won’t know until daylight. Go ahead. Get some rest. I’ll take first watch.”

“No way. You’re the injured party. I should have been up here doing all this while you rested.”

“I’m fine. It’s just a—”

“Flesh wound,” she finished. “You men. You could have a sucking chest wound and you’d still call it a flesh wound. At least let me do a better job on the bandage, now that we’re far enough away from our pursuers.”

“If it’ll get you inside, okay.” He slipped into the nest beside her and turned his arm toward her.

“Got a flashlight? I’d like to see what I’m working with.”

He handed her a small flashlight with a red lens. “Better than nothing and not as visible from a distance.”